Commission sets airport parking fees

Steamboat Springs  The Routt County Commission has formally approved the parking prices for the Yampa Valley Regional Airport, but some people are still not paying and are getting away with it.

An annual parking permit has been set at $480/year or about $1.33/day as recommended by the airport's advisory board.

"We weren't the lowest and we weren't the highest," said YVRA Airport Director Jim Parker.

"We felt it was a fair price."

The yearly permit is transferable, meaning the owner can use it for any of his cars.

Parker said second homeowners and corporate employees are the ones likely to purchase a yearly permit.

This year, the airport is pro-rating the yearly permit fee.

In the meantime, Parker said the airport collected about $4,500 in parking fees during March. However some people are still not paying.

"We basically have a green sticker that's a warning," Parker said.

Parker said the airport hasn't been booting or towing these cars yet, but will consider it for repeat offenders.

Parker told the commissioners he's still studying the cost benefit of putting in gates and an automatic pay system.

In the meantime, the weekly rate has been formally set at $15 and the daily rate is $3.

The county commissioners will review the airport parking rates in September, especially those rates given to airline employees who commute. The airline commuters were given a very low rate of $60 a year that wasn't formally approved by the commissioners.

Since the airline employees, including pilots who live in Routt County, already paid the fee, the commissioners will wait to re-evaluate the fee next year.

"We see a real inequity there," said Commissioner Nancy Stahoviak.

During Tuesday's meeting, the commissioners said it was unfair that airline employees, who keep their vehicles year round at the airport, would be paying much less than other citizens or corporations.